The Daylight
by SolitaireBlue
Summary: When tragedy strikes in the Eames family, Alex is tasked with becoming the guardian of six children while an investigation led by Major Case ensues. Eventual B/A.
1. Push

**A/N: New story! I'm super excited for this one. It's going to be much bigger and much bigger than anything I've ever done before. Just so you know, Bobby and Alex are in their early thirties in this story and have been partners for few years.**

The morning of June 14th was damp and cloudy. The skies looked angry and grey and the wind blew a cool breeze that put an unsettling feeling in the air. The forecast called for a ninety percent chance of rain, however crime does not reschedule for bad weather.

And it would be dark day.

Detective Alex Eames picked her partner up outside his Bronx apartment and 7:15 am. He stood there bouncy slightly on the balls of his feet, waiting in his grey suit complete with a shiny tie clip. His long fingers held his leather binder to his side.

"Good morning, Eames." He said, as he slid into the passenger seat. His smile didn't reach his eyes. Their job never got any easier.

"Something tells me our victim doesn't think so."

They made their way to the upper east side of Manhattan. Neither of them were told much of anything except that the car the man was a found in had police tags and was a bloody nightmare.

Alex pulled the black SUV behind the sea of police cars. Bobby held the yellow tape up high as they ducked under. A young officer met them halfway, spewing out details of the scene. Bobby and the officer slowed to a stop but Alex continued.

Her feet carried her to the silver vehicle slowly. She felt as if she was floating. A CSU technician approached her but she didn't hear a word he said.

 _That car…_

Her breathing became shallow, the voices around her were muffled by the sound of her heart beating.

The young cop was nice, but a little too eager for Bobby's liking. "Guy walking his dog found him in the car around 6:30. Thought the guy was sleeping at first but looked closer and saw all the blood." He said, grinning.

"Just a word of advice, you might want to wipe that smile off your face. This is a crime scene. Someone was murdered."

The officer's face fell immediately. "Sorry, detective."

"Where's the dog walker?" Bobby asked.

"He's right over there." He said pointing to a short red headed man holding a chihuahua. As he looked, he noticed his partner had gone ahead of him.

Her back was to him but he could tell she was walking like she was in a daze. She slowly turned to face the open driver's side door. Bobby watched as the breath left Alex's body. She stumbled back into two officers talking behind her with hand covering her mouth, the other stretching out to her side to keep herself from collapsing.

"Eames?" Bobby walked a few steps then opened his stride up into a jog.

Something was very very wrong.

Bobby put his hand on her shoulder but she was couldn't form any words. His six foot four frame stood in front of her but her tear filled eyes stayed fixated on the same spot. "Eames?" She did not answer him. Instead she shook her head side to side.

Bobby turned to see the victim. Although he hadn't seen him in years, Bobby did recognize him. His throat was sliced deeply, stab wounds covered his now pale body.

 _Damn_.

Alex grabbed the lapels of Bobby's suit jacket with shaky hands.

"That's-"

Bobby chose to cut her off. He didn't want her to have to finish that sentence. "I know."

He swiftly took his partner, guiding her away by her shoulder and elbow but her feet couldn't hold herself up. Her body felt numb. Bobby held her up when her knees gave out. He picked her petite frame up slightly, bringing the hand on her shoulder to her waist, and set her down on the curb.

"Alex, I'm so sorry." Bobby couldn't imagine what she was feeling. "I'm so sorry you had to see that."

 _Jesus, that image will haunt her for the rest of her life._

The large hands on her upper arms comforted her but she soon began to sob. Alex turned her head, using her hair to hide her face from the many pairs of eyes on her. Especially the ones belonging to the gentle giant squatting in front of her.

Alex stood up suddenly, pushing Bobby aside and ran to the nearest alley.

Bobby followed but stopped. "Nobody thought to tell us his name?!" He yelled angrily at the crowd of officers watching them. They just stared in return.

He took long strides to catch up to Alex who was on her hands and knees throwing up behind a dumpster. Bobby knelt down beside her. He held her golden hair back in one hand and rubbed her back soothingly with the other.

He offered his handkerchief for her to wipe her mouth when she was finished. She stood shakily, using his arm for support.

"Sorry." She told him, looking ashamed.

"What are you sorry for?"

"I shouldn't be… crying here."

Bobby used his classic 'Goren lean' to get her to look at him. "It's a perfectly normal reaction."

She looked like she was about to lose it. Bobby pulled her to him. With her head cradled against his chest, she began to cry again.

A light drizzle descended upon them. Bobby wrapped his arm around her and started for the car. Her hand wrapped around his back and clung to his jacket. He put her in the SUV and told her he'd be right back. Through the worsening rain, he saw her put her head in her hands.

Bobby went back to the yellow tape where he was met by the CSU technician and the happy officer.

"Please tell me you got everything you needed to from the outside of the car before it rained." Bobby asked the CSU tech.

"Of course, detective."

Bobby nodded his approval.

"What uh.. what was that all about?" Officer smiley asked, curiously.

Bobby completely ignored him. "Two more detectives will be down here shortly."

Bobby walked away and stopped a few feet away from the car. The rain was really coming down now. He pulled out his phone and waited for Deakins to answer. This wasn't a call he wanted to make with Eames present.

"Captain, Logan and Wheeler need to take this one…." Bobby glanced up, squinting through the rain, at his partner who was wiping away the makeup that ran beneath her eyes. "It's Eames' brother."

 **TBC**

 **A/N: Please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Six Hearts

**A/N: And we're back! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. School has been a b word. Also just a side note, I know Logan and Wheeler didn't come in until the fifth season or so but this is set where Bobby and Alex are in their early/mid thirties.**

Alex sat on the edge of her couch, brown eyes staring blankly ahead. Her clothes were damp from the rain which pounded loudly on the windows of her dimly lit apartment. Bobby had read her mind and driven her straight home. She'd calmed down considerably since seeing what she did, reminding herself that she was to be professional about this right now. She could grieve later. But although her tears had ceased, the feeling in her chest remained.

She snapped out of her daze as Bobby placed a steaming cup of tea in front of her. Alex silently thanked him, took one sip and set it down. She still felt sick.

He took the chair next to her sofa, elbows resting on his knees as he too began to stare aimlessly. His thoughts on the woman next to him as they usually were. She'd lost a husband and now, a brother.

Ben Eames was the second oldest of the five and from what Bobby had gathered the first and only time he'd met him, he was a good man.

 _Bobby had been invited to the annual Eames Family Fourth of July cookout two summers ago. Alex, a sight he would never forget, wearing white shorts that showed a lot of leg and a bright red tank top with an American flag painted on her cheek (likely by one of nieces or nephews), immediately greeted him as he walked across the lawn, careful to not to get in the path of the intense football game._

 _"Welcome to the madness." She almost blinded him with her smile._

 _He smiled in return. "Thanks for having me."_

 _A blonde man with a genuine smile approached them. He was definitely an Eames. His hair was the same shade as Alex's, a trait inherited from their father, Johnny Eames._

 _"You must be Bobby. Good to finally meet you, man." He welcomed, giving Bobby's hand a firm shake. "I'm Ben, Alex's favorite brother."_

 _Alex swatted him on the chest._

 _"Good to meet you too. I hear you're over in narcotics." Thus beginning a conversation with a topic usually discussed in the Eames family: police work. They swapped some of their stories and it was obvious that Ben cared about his job._

 _Day turned to night and fireworks lit up the sky. Bobby enjoyed the family atmosphere. He never had that growing up. It was nice to be included in their family even though it was just a little while._

 _Bobby was getting himself and Alex another drink when a voice came from beside him._

 _"I can tell she's really happy you came." Ben Eames reached in the cooler next to him to grab another beer. "I haven't seen her this happy in a long time actually." Bobby knew he meant Joe._

 _Bobby caught sight of the beauty Ben was referring to. Her head was tilted to the sky, face illuminated by the colors exploding up abo-_

Three knocks on the door sounded and they both stood.

"I got it." Bobby said, making his way to the door. Alex stayed standing.

Logan and Wheeler both hugged her, offering their condolences. Instead of going back to his chair, Bobby chose to sit next to his partner.

"What did you find?" She asked firmly.

Bobby knew that in Alex's previous silence, she had separated herself as family. Right now, she was a detective.

Mike looked to Wheeler, unsure if he should go into detail, but answered. "Time of death was sometime between 10:00 pm and 12:00 am. We found an engraved cigarette lighter with the letters, 'A.E.S.,' on the floor of the backseat. Probably fell out of the perp's pocket. And uhh, I don't know if you saw just how much blood was in that car..." He trailed off.

"Yeah, he was stabbed to death." Alex said, impatiently. Mike once again flicked his eyes to his partner's. This did not go unnoticed by Alex. "Just tell me." She said, softening her tone.

"We believe your sister-in-law was attacked in the car as well." Wheeler spoke.

Alex was too shocked to answer. Had she heard right? Bobby asked the question on her mind. "What makes you think that?"

"There was a decent amount of blood on the passenger side and a gold bracelet was found shoved in the seat."

"But she could still be alive." Bobby stated.

"It's likely. It was a good amount of blood but not enough to kill her."

"Did it have six hearts on it?" Alex asked quietly. It took a second for them to realize she was referring to the bracelet.

Logan confirmed with a nod.

Alex's stomach dropped. Things had just gone from bad to worse.

"It's hers. Ben gave it to her for Christmas a few years ago. One heart for each of their kids."

"They have six kids?" Wheeler asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah." Alex whispered and bowed her head.

"Rachel didn't show up for work today. We also spoke with Ben's partner, Detective Samuels. Ben told him he and Rachel were having a date night last night." Said Logan.

 _Rachel has been taken by the man who slaughtered her husband right in front of her. She's injured and probably terrified right now._ Alex thought.

"I need to go see their kids." Alex said to the floor.

"How do you want to handle telling your family?" Logan asked.

"I'll do it." She felt it was her duty. She was the first of her family to know. How could she let them find out from someone else? "Stop by their house tonight. You can speak with their kids then. We need to find Rachel before those kids lose both parents."

Another knock sounded on the door.

"That's probably Deakins." Bobby said, getting up to answer it.

Sure enough, their Captain walked in, umbrella in hand. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

Alex breathed a thank you and accepted the hug he offered before turning her attention back to the issue at hand. "Do me a favor and don't put word out about any of this until I speak with my family."

"Of course." Deakins said.

The three left after a little more discussion and left Bobby and Alex, once again, alone in silence. Alex would be taking some time off while Bobby assisted Logan and Wheeler with the case. She was glad Major Case was working it. She trusted her colleagues and knew Bobby would find the person responsible.

Now to figure out how to break the news to her family….

Bobby finally spoke when he saw her hands start to shake again. "I can come with you if you want."

"I would appreciate that."

Eames grabbed her jacket. The faster they got this over with, the faster they could find Rachel and hopefully, the person who killed her brother.

But first, they had to watch six hearts break right before their eyes.

 **TBC**

 **Please review!**


	3. The Great Escape

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait. I just want to thank you all so much for reading and for your feedback. Your reviews keep me going! I'm so excited about this story, you have no idea.**

With five siblings, there is never a quiet moment in Josie Eames' world. The only time she gets to herself is in the morning. She sets her alarm for 7:00 and draws for a half hour in the sketchbook she keeps in her sock drawer. She doesn't need anyone making fun of her drawings. By 7:30, her youngest sibling, Corey, is usually awake and since he knows how to escape his crib, Josie makes sure out of bed to keep an eye on him. Her mother won't get home from work until around dinner time and her father's schedule is dependent on the case he's working. Her father often refers to her as a "third parent." She doesn't mind. She loves her siblings, but she does wish she had more time with her parents. She doesn't blame them though, they've got to provide for six kids somehow. After her mom has gotten home, Josie will eat dinner and go to work at one of the many frozen yogurt shops in the area, get home at 11:00 and repeat the process for the rest of the summer. She doesn't _love_ her job at "Cal's FroYo." There's always some drama between the kids she works with but it's nice to have some extra cash in her pocket.

She's in the kitchen no more than five minutes when she hears little feet padding down the stairs. Corey is more than chipper this morning, babbling over a bowl of captain crunch about how dark it is outside even though it's the morning. He's still in his dinosaur pajamas and his short bleach blonde hair is sticking up in every direction.

The twins are the next ones to wake. She's not sure how they do that; wake up at exactly the same time everyday even though they sleep in separate rooms.

Nick is the most talkative out of the six of them. There is hardly a moment his mouth is closed. Today is no different.

"I can't believe it's raining today!" Nick exclaims, sitting beside his brother at the kitchen island. "This just completely ruined my day."

"Why is that?" Josie asks, preparing his and Ava's cereals.

"I wanted to build a fort today."

"Can't you do that inside?"

"I guess. We'll just take all of the pillows and blankets in the house and build the best damn inside fort anyone's ever seen!"

"Whoa!Language!"

He smiles to himself and gives a soft, "Sorry."

"Can I build the fort too?" Ava asks. Ava's golden hair has already been brushed and braided. Pretty impressive for a six year old.

"Of course you can! We'll start after breakfast."

"Nick?" Josie asks. "Why don't you go get the boys up?"

Nick abandons his cereal to run down to the basement. A few seconds later, he returns with Marcus following behind.

"Good morning." Ava greets.

"Morning." Marcus grumbles. He is the only sibling with his mother's dark brown hair. It's waves are covering his tired eyes. Josie can't believe he got up that easy.

"Where's Tyler?" She asks, noticing the older boy's absence.

"Taking a dump."

Josie rolls her brown eyes but the younger kids crack up. Nick is on the verge of tears from laughing so hard.

Tyler soon makes his appearance, looking more tired than Marcus.

"Hey Tyler? Did you stink up the basement?" Nick teases.

"Shut up!" Tyler snaps. His face turns a light shade of red. "Marcus, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hey! Knock it off!" Josie scolds. What a wonderful start to the day.

Marcus crosses his arms and mutters under his breath, "Just a joke..."

Tyler takes a box of frosted flakes and storms off too the living room. Josie doesn't know what his deal is. Perhaps it's just a teenage thing, although she never went through that. He's been short fused lately, lashing out at everyone for little things. She'll have to talk with him later.

"So Marcus," Josie raises her voice slightly so Tyler can hear. "Seeing as it's raining, we've decided to build the best _darn_ inside fort anyone's ever seen."

Marcus shrugs. "I'm in."

After everyone has eaten and gotten dressed, the group heads down to the basement. Surprisingly, Tyler is willing to participate.

"Everyone is going to have their own room in the fort. We'll move the sofas to create some walls." Nick continues on, taking his job as the architect very seriously.

It isn't long after they've started when the doorbell rings.

Alex called her parents on the way over to tell them the horrible news. Her mother was beside herself. Her father was shocked. This was going to be a difficult day for so many people.

Alex rings the doorbell once and waits with Bobby at her side. Luckily the porch is covered so they don't have to stand in the rain. He can see her hands shaking slightly. Bobby considers putting a hand on her arm but decides against it.

A girl answers the door. _This must be the seventeen year old._ She's thin yet muscular like her aunt but taller. Her sandy brown hair is up in a ponytail and she has a pair of big, brown wire rimmed glasses on.

"Hey, Aunt Alex." She says, surprised.

"Josie, this is um..." Alex tries to introduce the man next to her but loses her rhythm quickly at the sight of her.

"Bobby, right?" The young girl shakes his hand politely. Her smile is bright but the detectives know it won't be there for long. "Good to see you. What uh brings you…" The young girl trails off when something catches her eye. She steps past them, walking on the front porch in bare feet. Her mother's car is there next to hers in the driveway. It takes her a second but as soon as she meets her aunt's eyes again, she puts two and two together.

When she tells them, Alex is gentle.

She tells them that their daddy is in Heaven, watching over them and that he loved them very much. She doesn't want to go into further detail in front of the younger children.

The issue of Rachel is harder to explain. "Mommy is away right now... We aren't sure when she'll be back." She assures them that they can talk to any of the adults in the family if they need to.

Josie's jaw is clenched so hard she thinks her teeth might shatter. She struggles to keep her composure and nearly loses it when Tyler gets angry.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"Ty."

"What the hell happened to them?"

"Tyler. Not now." Josie says firmly through clenched teeth. She has a feeling that conversation is not for little ears. Thankfully, Tyler's eyes soften and he backs off.

"So what time will they be home?" Marcus asks as if he hadn't heard a word spoken to him.

Alex doesn't know what to say. "Sweetheart?"

"Mom and Dad?" He soon realizes that everyone's eyes are on him. "What time will they be back?" He asks again.

Nick speaks up, "Didn't you hear what Aunt Alex just said? Dad –"

"Nick," Bobby starts. "Do you want to go finish that fort downstairs?"

Alex meets Bobby's eyes.

 _Thank you._

 _No problem._

She tells Josie, Tyler, and Marcus the full story when Bobby and the little kids have gone downstairs. She leaves out the more gruesome details of course.

"Who could have done this?" Marcus tearfully asks. It has finally registered in his mind.

"My friends at Major Case are going to find out." His aunt answers.

"So there was no note asking for money?" Josie questions.

"No, there wasn't a ransom note." Alex confirms.

"Is she dead? Is she hurt? Is she still alive?" Marcus asks. He wipes the tears from his eyes but they return.

Tyler startles everyone when he practically sprints from the sofa.

"Just leave him be." Josie says. "He needs some alone time."

"The first priority is finding your mom." Alex says returning to their conversation. They are aware that they will need to talk to the police later in the day.

"How am I going to take care of all of us?" Josie asks.

"Honey," Alex day places her hand on the girl's arm. "You have a big family." Josie is still a minor which means she's not old enough to care for everyone on her own. She'll have to talk to her sister-in-law, Keri. Keri is the lawyer who handled Ben and Rachel's will. "You heard what I said, right? You can talk to me or Bobby or Your grandparents or any of your aunts and uncles if you need to." Josie nods and hugs her aunt and brother.

Downstairs in his and Marcus' shared room, Tyler is trying to keep his sobs quiet. Outside the door, construction on the fort has stopped momentarily.

"Are you Uncle Bobby?" Asks the youngest, Corey.

Bobby is a little caught off guard. _Uncle_ Bobby.

"Dad calls you that." Nick states.

 _What?_ "Why does he call me that?"

"He says you and Aunt Alex spend so much time together that you might as well be our uncle."

Bobby chuckles. _Thanks Ben._

Tyler's sobs get louder and Bobby knows it's time for them to go. They head upstairs to watch some cartoons where Bobby informs his partner of the situation downstairs.

"Josie said he needed alone time. I'll go down and talk to him in a little while."

But Tyler's tears are not just a product of grief, they are a product of guilt.

 **A/N: Don't forget to review!**


	4. Rain, Go Away

**A/N: Yay! New chapter! Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I'm so sorry it's been taking me so long to update. Hopefully the next one will be quicker;)**

 _Ben Eames stood in his doorway. He's been sent home from school early. His father was younger then, less gray hairs and less lines on his forehead. Disappointment was in his eyes. He would always remember that._

 _"Tyler…"_

He didn't want to remember.

"Tyler?"

 _Stop._

"Ty?"

Tyler snapped out of his memory when he felt someone nudge his shoulder to find that he was still in his room speaking to Detective Logan. Logan sat across from them on Marcus' bed while Uncle Tom sat to his left.

"Are you expecting someone?" His uncle asked.

"What?"

"You've been staring at the door for a while. Did you hear what Detective Logan just said?"

"Oh, sorry." He said, looking to Logan. "What did you say?"

"Just if you think of anything else, let us know." Logan stood and Uncle Tom did the same. "And, I'm very sorry for your loss." Logan hated this part of the job. Especially when it came to kids. The boy's father was brutally murdered and what happened to his mom was still a mystery. That would be the worst part. Not knowing.

Tyler nodded politely and flopped back on his bed once he was left alone. This… this was a nightmare.

Logan soon joined Wheeler and Goren on the front porch while the army of Eames' remained inside. The three stood in the humid air under the roof as the rain continued to pour.

"Just checked in," Wheeler informed, "Uni's are still canvassing the area of the neighborhood where the car was found. So far no one saw or heard anything."

Logan sighed. "Wonderful. Tyler doesn't know anyone with the initials on the cigarette liter."

"Then we are O for six." She added. Josie and Marcus hadn't given her any useful information when she talked with them.

"Rest of the family doesn't know either. I spoke with them when they first got here. And the younger kids don't know anything, of course." Goren said as he leaned against the house with his arms crossed.

"I'm gonna get in touch with Ben's partner again." Logan said. "Who wants to bet it's someone they busted?"

"I️ think we need to look at Rachel's life." The taller Detective suggested.

Two pairs of eyes looked to him as if he was crazy but that was nothing new.

"Come on, Goren." Logan scoffed.

"Think about it." Goren said stepping forward. "Why kill him and take her without leaving a ransom note?"

"Taking his wife was just another 'screw you.'"

"We don't have a lot of time. We need to make sure we talk to the right people-"

"You and I️ both know the odds that she's still alive are small." Realizing how awful that sounded, Logan checked his surroundings before continuing. "He probably took her to…" _Rape her._ "you know what, killed her, and has dumped her in an alley by now."

Goren rolled his eyes. "You're being closed minded."

"Guys." Wheeler interjected. Joining forces was going south real quick. She took the route of peacemaker. "Why don't you go talk to Rachel's friends while we go talk to Samuels. That way we're covering all of our bases."

Goren frowned.

"They left them to you." Keri informed Alex.

"To me."

"Yes, should anything happen to them, you are to be the sole guardian of their children." Her sister-in-law confirmed.

"Okay." Alex breathed. "Okay." This wasn't what she'd expected. Ben and Rachel had never mentioned it to her. She wasn't mad, not at all. It was just… surprising.

"Do you want me to stay for a couple nights?"

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I can stay too." Alex's sister, Liz offered as she walked over to join them by the stairs. Liz looked disheveled. Alex hadn't seen her like that in a long time. Liz was the youngest of her siblings and far prettier than her. Her long hair was normally done so nicely but today it was in a messy ponytail and there was no sign of makeup on her face.

"No, go home, be with your families." Keri and Alex's brother, John, had four of their own while Liz and her husband, Scott, had two little ones.

"You sure?" Her sister asked.

Alex nodded. "I'll call you if I need you."

Keri placed a hand on her arm before they both joined their husbands.

Alex stood there a moment. She had become a parent of six in one day. Sure she was great with her nieces and nephews, she was 'the cool aunt,' but now…

"Hey." Bobby said from behind her. Logan and Wheeler had said goodbye a few minutes earlier but Bobby stuck around and played with Corey.

"Hey."

They stood comfortably in silence while the soft chattering of her family members continued around them. His presence was calming. His body was like a wall, shielding her from the outside world.

Alex spoke softly. "Look, I️ know I'm supposed to stay out of it… but I thought-"

Bobby looked over her head to find Alex's oldest brother, John, staring at them. She followed her partner's gaze and grabbed him by the arm to lead him up the stairs. She led him to Ben and Rachel's bedroom and closed the door.

"I'll tell you but you can't tell anyone else. We can't disclose certain information to the public, including the fam-" Bobby kept his voice low even though they were alone.

"I know the drill."

So Goren filled her in on what her family had told them, which wasn't really anything helpful, and explained the situation with Logan and Wheeler.

"Maybe it's better this way." Eames wasn't surprised that Logan and Goren were already butting heads. Her partner was known for his inability to play well with others. She, however, was the exception.

He glanced around the bedroom and found a picture on the wall. It was Ben and Rachel on their wedding day. Bobby vaguely remembered meeting her at the Fourth of July party. Marcus resembled her the most out of the six. He had her dark brown hair. She looked like a nice person, kind eyes, warm smile.

"They looked good together, didn't they?" Alex said.

They looked so young in the photo. When they wed, Rachel was 19 and Ben was 20. They were so excited to start their life together that they couldn't wait until they finished school to get married.

"Yeah." Bobby answered. That day would probably never come for him. It hurt to admit it to himself, but it just wasn't possible. He knew who the right person was for him. In fact, she was right next to him, but it couldn't happen. "So who's going to look after the kids?"

"Me."

His head snapped sharply in her direction.

"Really?"

"I'm their sole guardian."

"Oh." He had to admit, he was a little caught off guard. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Out of the four remaining siblings, Alex was the only one not married and without children.

She sighed. "Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Get all distant because things are going to be different."

Things would be different. What would happen if they didn't find Rachel? She would most likely have to leave Major Case. Him. With six kids to look after, she would be able to maintain their job with its unpredictable hours.

"Your brother left you with this responsibility because he trusted you. I️ could never be upset because of that. And as far as things changing…" He thought a moment. "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Bobby paused and took a small step closer to her, lowering his head towards hers. "You've got some time off, hopefully we find Rachel, if not… then we'll figure it out."

Alex nodded and sighed. _We'll figure it out._

Bobby stepped back, realizing how close he was to her. Did she notice?

She followed Bobby back down the stairs and watched as he said goodbye to her mother, father, and various other members of her family. She walked him out and waved goodbye from the porch as he ventured out into the rain.

The door opened behind her.

"Alex, how is this looking?" Her brother, John stood there alongside her younger brother, Tom.

"I'm not sure."

"Alex." Tom said softly.

"Goren told you." John said.

Alex rolled her eyes. "He's my partner."

"And my brother's dead. I want to know what's going on." John wasn't the type to take any shit. As the oldest of the Eames siblings, John Jr. felt it was his duty to look out for his brothers and sisters. He always felt the need to be in charge.

"You can tell us Alex, we're cops." Tom tried to reason.

"I'm sorry, I can't." It was hard denying her family information but she couldn't compromise the investigation. This needed to be clean.

"Real nice." John said snidely.

"What should I do, John?" Alex raised her voice. "Should I tell all the cops in New York while I'm at it?"

"She's right." Tom said. "We don't know who's involved in this."

"You think a cop did this to him?" He looked at Tom as if the idea was the most absurd thing he'd ever heard.

"I don't know but we can't rule anyone out. We don't know what he was involved in or who he was involved with." It was a possibility. No one wanted to believe that a police officer could have any involvement in the murder of another but it had happened before. Getting caught up in the wrong crowd, pissing off the wrong dirty cop.

"Well in the meantime while we're being kept in the dark, Rachel's out there somewhere."

"They'll find her."

She hoped.

Tom motioned for John to go inside. He did, reluctantly. "Don't worry about him. He's just trying to figure out what to do. We all feel useless."

"It's fine."

And the rain continued to pour.

TBC

 **A/N: Please review!**


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